Despite the fact that Japan's Institute for Cetacean Research has been running its so-called scientific whale research in the Antarctic at a financial loss for some time, has found it difficult to sell on the whale meat from its annual kill and in recent years has taken to reducing the domestic wholesale price, Japan's whalers are now considering raising the price of this meat.
As the whaling fleet made its way back to home port, the whalers have done their best to portray protest ships as the reason for both their limited catch and need for further government subsidisation.
Greenpeace Japan has received wide coverage for its opposition to continued Southern Ocean whaling and "On the streets of Tokyo, far from the handful of small coastal villages where a few hundred Japanese fishermen slaughter dolphins, most people say Japan should spend tax revenues on programs such as health insurance and renewable energy initiatives that help everyone, not just a few hundred people employed by Japan's moribund whaling industry. "I cannot understand the stubborn and backward attitude of a few old, out-of-touch politicians promoting a dead industry that sells whaling as 'Japan against the West -- us against them'," said 33-year-old salaryman Takashi Endo.
"Norway and Iceland are still located in the West and still whaling so what does that mean? Are they actually Japanese just pretending to be Westerners ," Endo added.
"We Japanese think whale meat is unhealthy and that's probably the main reason we don't want to eat it. And I also think it's true that most younger Japanese of my generation feel that whales have more value alive than dead. Stand in front of Tokyo Station where we are now and show a picture of whalers killing whales and another one of people like me watching them. I think almost everybody would tell you that the whale watching image reflects their feeling about how Japan should treat whales."
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett needs to stand firm and not falter in putting Australia's case for the protection of whales inhabiting or migrating through our waters and the Southern Ocean whale sanctuary.
By the same token Opposition environment spokesperson Sharman Stone needs to do her homework instead of needlessly calling for Rudd and Garrett to tell the Japanese about whale meat health risks. Something Japanese society is well aware of due to persistent domestic media coverage.
